


An innocent bystander

by TimeLordsWife



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Divorce, F/M, Family, Happily Ever After, New Beginnings, difficult upbringing, ending, step dad Tom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-13 16:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3389081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeLordsWife/pseuds/TimeLordsWife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helena, about to get divorced from an abusive control freak of a husband to protect her children. One day she meets Mr Right, aka, Tom Hiddleston, who makes sure her and her children finally get there happily ever after, eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"You want to know why I'm filing for a divorce? You, you actually want to know?!"

"Yes, honey, I don't see what I have done? All I've ever done is love you"

"Bull shit Harry,"

"Then FUCKING TELL ME WHY YOU COW"

"Because you called me a whore in front of our children, you hit me in front of them, I've seen your twitching Palm as one of them talks out of turn, and this morning you did the wrong thing"

"He had it coming and you know it"

"No, if you require to hear from me again, you will contact my lawyer"

I slammed my phone down. I'd been shouting. At least a dozen people in the local shop are staring at me, and not just because of my American accent this time. The pretty blond woman, she glares at me for making a scene, the old couple holding their newspapers and milk, their eyes well up with pity for me, the young kid clinging to his new toy car, he puts his head down and walks towards his mum, who looks appalled at my outburst. If only they knew. The security guards that escort me out of the shop, they humour me, "she must be mental" I heard one say.

As I stand outside the shop, humiliated, and soaked through from both the rain and the heavy sweat the increased adrenaline has filled me with, a soft voice speaks to me

"Are you alright" he kindly asks, before the rain is no longer pounding my head so hard anymore, his coat is draped over both our heads, "here, let's get inside" he continues as he leads me towards a nearby cafe.

Once inside, we are asked to select a table of our choosing, mainly due to the lack of customers who are clearly staying at home due to the weather. Finally, I look up at the kind man through my drenched blonde hair that is covering my face, clinging to my skin like a scar. He looks familiar, ginger haired, strong bone structure, his cheeks are probably more structure than my life right now. He looks kind, compassionate and caring, everything my husband, was husband, was not. I just stare at him for what seems like hours, my cold eyes piercing him like Macbeths dagger. I've always taken a long time to warm to people, to learn to trust them. I trusted my soon to be ex-husband, and that was a mistake. The waitress walks over, abruptly awakening me from me thoughts. The kind man must be a regular. 

"Tom, what will you have today?"

"Just the usual please Mandy, what about you dear?"

I blink twice at 'Tom', I have only ever been called 'dear' by two people in my life, my father, and my now ex-husband, and both of them let me down and said that word with such hatred, but his eyes see, kind.

"Coffee, please, no milk, no sugar, thank you"

The waitress nods, writes down my order, the scurries away again.

"That's one strong coffee you like there, sorry, how rude of me, I'm Thomas, but please, call me Tom, what about yourself?" His voice is soft, as if talking to a child. I am only 23, but I feel about 50 after all I've been through and seen, my eyes look older than my face, but I've gotten used to that. My mask comes up, and I smile at Tom, keeping people at arms distance by pretending everything is okay is something that I'm good at.

"Hello Tom, I'm Helena. Thank you for preventing me from catching hyperthermia!" I smiled warmly at him.

I don't think he believed my act actually, but he chooses to play along, for my sakes I believe. 

We sit in relatively comfortable silence for a minute as the waitress brings over our beverages. As I reach across to hold my coffee, my jumper sleeve slips away slightly, revealing my heavily scarred arm, before I have chance to move my arm or my sleeve, Tom has gently, but powerfully grasped my arm, and lifts the sleeve further, revealing more scarring. He stares at it, memorising every line, every direction. There are burn marks, from cigarette stubs, stretch marks, from being pulled, slit marks, from when I tried to make it stop, he sees them all, and yet, I still feel calm. He looks me in the eyes, concern filling them, I don't have time for this strangers sympathy, but then his eyes burn with something else, something similar to mine, they burn with hatred, hatred for why this happened to me, they burn with anger, anger for not being able to prevent this, but most importantly, they burn with love, love and admiration for the fight I have out up for the past 2 decades. I am overcome with emotion, I must leave, I have business to attend.

"Thank you for your hospitality Thomas, but I must leave, I must pick my children up from school, and find a place for us to stay. Hopefully once this is all over we may remain friends. For now though goodbye" I choke as I run out the cafe, through the doors and out to the streets I know so well. I know I will have left something behind in my haste, I always do. 

Tom sits in the cafe as she leaves, what could a person ever do to deserve this, he didn't want her to leave, he wanted to protect her forever, as she fled, he didn't have time to react, she ran, and he tried to follow, she left her scarf, the beautiful, strong soldier left her elegant orange scarf, that contrasted so well to the pain she was suffering. The scarfs happy colours speared to mock Tom as he stared at it, oozing its happiness in juxtaposition to its owners depression. 

He will help her, once it is all over. He loves her.


	2. Chapter 2

The divorce was a quick, easy, and heartless one.

I got the kids, he got the house and all our shared possessions.

The kids get to see their dad once a week, my eldest children, 5 year old twins, Carl and Rebekah don't want to see their dad, but they will if it'll make me happy. 2 year old Ryan doesn't understand. I had my children young. I didn't want it that way. I met a guy when I was 18, and I was desperate to escape from my drunken parents. The guy was 34, and I thought it was love. I'd never known love, so when he hit me, and told me he did it because he loved me, I believed him. When my ribs were bruised from his kicks when I lay on the floor, I thought that was love too. The scars on my arm, from me trying to end it all. He pushed me down the stairs, but he was always so sorry, he cried at my hospital bed side, I wondered why he lied and said I fell down, but now I understand. It was never love. I was his punching bag, his own stress ball. I fell pregnant after being with him 6 months. We we're over joyed! But the abuse didn't stop. 

I finally freed myself and the kids this year from that monster, but now we have nowhere to go. I book myself and the children in to stay in a local travel lodge for a week. We just have to take it one week at a time now. 

On the third week of residing in the travel lodge, my funds start to run low. I work in s small sweet shop, between 9-2:30, that way I can take and collect the children from school. That Tuesday, the shop was quiet, so I closed up and went for a lonely coffee. I sat in the window seat on my own, and people watched. The world is such an interesting place, and everyone has their own story, and no one has to know mine, this is my fresh start. This is what I've needed. I recognise a man, he's stood across the road from the window I sit in, he stares at me, and I stare back. Then we both smile. It's the kind man. Tom. He point and mimes through the window, 'is that seat taken?' He acts out, to which I shake my head. I turn away and within 10 seconds, Tom is sat across from me again. 

"Long time no see stranger" Tom smiles warmly at me with a chuckle, I feel Immediately drawn to him. He looks so warm and friendly, a friendly person who I trust, I don't want to lose him. I just stare at him, and before I know it, my mask is down. I feel the tears running down my face before I even know what I'm crying about. Within a heart beat. Tom appears next to me and I'm in his arms. I feel safe and cry some more. A lot more. Once I was breathing again, he simply said "let's go some place more private" and at that, he took my arm and led me to his car.

We arrived at his apartment, after we picked up my kids, he made them smoothies and put on Disney Chanel, a simple curtesy my ex-husband never did. And that was how it began. Now, 30 years later, the youngest has just gotten married, and we are settling down for s retired, and quiet life, and I couldn't think of anything better.


End file.
